Injury lawyer details for Chris Deacon

About Chris Deacon

I am is a specialist international injury lawyer and act exclusively for the victims of accidents abroad and in disputes with tour operators, hotels, travel providers and insurers. I am an APIL accredited spinal cord injury specialist, as well as an APIL accidents abroad accredited specialist and assessor. 

I am proud to be ranked as a leading travel lawyer in both Chambers and The Legal 500. Chambers 2021 commented "He is a very experienced and very clever lawyer" and The Legal 500 describes me as a “superb travel lawyer; he is knowledgeable, tenacious, compassionate and intellectually astute.”

I represent clients following serious international accidents, usually UK residents injured overseas but also foreign nationals who sustain life-changing injuries in the UK. Fluent in French, my background in international law means I am well placed to advise in relation to claims arising from incidents across the globe. I have written, presented and advised on the implications of Brexit for international injury claims.

I am currently representing a number of seriously injured clients and their families following accidents overseas. In April 2021, I secured High Court approval for a £13.35m settlement in the case of FGH v XS Direct and others, where I represented a child who suffered a spinal cord injury and multiple trauma in a road traffic accident in Poland. The settlement includes staged periodical payments for future care and case management.

I represented the claimant in Lackey v (1) Mallorca Mega Resort SL and (2) Generali, successfully establishing jurisdiction against both the hotel and its insurer in the English courts. I acted for the claimant in Thomas v (1) Baker and (2) ICWA (2015), securing damages of £6.25m following a spinal cord injury she sustained in Australia. I recently represented the family of F1 driver Jules Bianchi following his accident at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix and I am currently representing the F2 driver Juan Manuel Correa following the serious injuries he sustained in the accident at the Belgian Grand Prix 2019.

I have previously represented clients who have sustained catastrophic injuries in quad-biking and other outdoor adventure and leisure pursuits while abroad.

I have been consistently ranked in Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500 as a leading individual in travel law and international injury.

The Legal 500 2021 comments he is a “Fantastic lawyer, personable and very savvy. Achieves excellent results in all of his cases”. They call me “hugely experienced and very thorough” and name me as one of their ‘next generation partners’. Chambers 2021 quoted one market commentator as saying: “I would trust him with a case of any value and complexity.”

In previous editions Chambers has listed me as “intellectually gifted and amazingly conscientious…all-round class act; he puts the extra 10% on top of the 100%.”

I was once again listed as a rising star in Chambers 2019, sources describe me as an “absolutely fabulous guy” who has “lots of good ideas” and is “very much on top of international work and issues.” I have a strong track record for my client service, as well as my “in-depth knowledge and sympathy to traumatic circumstances.”

The Legal 500 has previously described me as “absolutely dedicated and organised” and “outstanding” noting my “good judgement and calm approach”. Satisfied clients praise “his invaluable ability to put technical terms into language a lay client can understand”.

In addition I have experience of dealing with general holiday disputes, international recoveries and policy disputes. I have a particular interest in consumer travel issues, claims under the Package Travel Regulations and international conventions.